Oceanography Flashcards
1
Q
A species’ success dpeends on the ability to
A
Find food
avoid predation
Reproduce
cope with physical barriers to movement
2
Q
Marine Organisms can be classified according to where they live and how they move
A
Plankton, Nekton, Benthos
3
Q
Plankton (floaters)
A
- Algae,animals and bacteria
- majority of oceans biomass
4
Q
Nekton (swimmers)
A
capable of propulsion independently of ocean currents
5
Q
Benthos (bottom dwellers)
A
Live on the surface of sea floor
attached to rock or moving along the bottom
6
Q
Two types of plankton
A
Phytoplankton
zooplankton
7
Q
Phytoplankton
A
autotrophic
produce their own food (photosynthesis)
8
Q
Zooplankton
A
Heterotrophic
food produced by other organisms
9
Q
Macroscopic floating Zooplankton
A
Krill +Cnidarians
10
Q
Krill
A
resemble mini shrimp or large copepods
abundant near Antarctica
Critical in Antarctic food chains
11
Q
Cnidarians
A
Hydrozoan (gas-filled float)
scyphozoan (jellyfish- soft, low-density bodies)
12
Q
Krill
A
resemble mini shrimp or large copepods
abundant near Antarctica
Critical in Antarctic food chains
13
Q
What kind of swimmers are Nekton
A
Independent swimmers
- temp, salinity, viscosity and nutrients limit their lateral range
-water pressure limits the vertical range
14
Q
What do Nekton comprise of
A
Most adult fish and squid, marine mammals, marine reptiles
15
Q
Types of fins
A
pelvic and pectoral fins, dorsal fins, caudal fins
16
Q
Pelvic and pectoral fins
A
turn,brake and balance
17
Q
Dorsal fins
A
Stabilizers
18
Q
Caudal fin
A
propulsion
19
Q
FIn Designs
A
Rounded fin, trucated and forked fins, lunate fins, heterocercal fin
20
Q
Rounded fin
A
accelerating and maneuvering at slow speeds
21
Q
Truncated and forked fins
A
fins flexible for faster propulsion and maneuvering
22
Q
Lunate fin
A
Asymmetrical, produces significant lift (sharks)
23
Q
Heterocercal Fin
A
fast cruising fish (tuna). very rigid, useless for maneuverability
24
Q
cruisers
A
swim constantly in search of prey and capture it with short period of high speed swimming
25
Lungers
Fish that wait patiently and exert themselves only in short bursts (grouper)
26
3 types of Benthos
Epifauna, Infauna, nektobenthos
27
Epifauna
live on the surface of the sea floor.
attached to rocks or moving
28
Infauna
lived buried in sediments
29
Nektobenthos
Swim or crawl through water above the seafloor (octopus, crabs)
30
Stenothermal
Organsims withstand small variation in temp
typically live in open ocean
31
Eurythermal
organisms withstand large variation in temp
typically live in coastal
32
Stenohaline
Organisms withstand small variation in salinity
typically live in open ocean
33
Euryhaline
Organisms withstand large variations in salinity
typically live in coastal waters
34
what animal has a collapsible rib cage
Sperm whale
35
countershading (avoiding predation)
dark on top, light on bottom
36
Disruptive coloration (avoiding predation)
Large bold patterns, contrasting colors make animal blend into background
37
Schooling (avoiding predation)
safety in numbers, school may appear as single larger unit, Schooling maneuvers confuse predator
38
what adaptations to fish have to find food
good sensory devices (antennae + sensitive lateral lines)
bioluminescence
39
pelagic environment divided into two biozones
neritic province and oceanic province
40
the ocean can be divided into two main environments
Pelagic (open sea)
Benthic (sea floor)
41
Bioluminesce advantages
searching for food in the dark
attracting prey
communication
staking out territory
42
neritic Province
from shore seawrd, all water < 200 m
43
Oceanic Province
Depth decreases beyond 200 m
44
Oceanic province further divided into four biozones
epipelagic, mesopelagic, bathypelagic, abyssopelagic
45
epipelagic
only zone to support photosynthesis
dissolved oxygen decreases around 200 m
46
mesopelagic
orgasnims capable of bioluminescence common
47
bathypelagic
deepest parts of the ocean > 4000m
represents 75% of living space
completely blind bizzare fish
48
euphotic
surface to where enough light exists to support photosynthesis
49
disphotic
sample but measurable quantities of light
50
aphotic
no light
51
Benthic environments
supralittoral, subneritic, suboceanic
52
major marine mammal groups
order carnivora, order sirenia, order cetacea
53
Order carnivora
prominent canine teeth, sea otters polar bears
pinnipeds -walrus , seals, sea lions
54
order sirenia
herbivores, manatees (coastal areas of tropical atlantic ocean)
dugongs (coastal areas of indian and western pacific oceans
55
Order Cetacea
elongated skull, blowholes, few hairs, fluke (horizontal tail fin for vertical propulsion)
whales, dolphins, porpoises
56
safe levels of mercury determined by
rate of fish consumption by people, mercury concentration in fish consumed, minimum ingestion rate of mercury to cause damages
57
bioaccumulation
orgasnims concentrate pollutant from seawater
58
biomagnification
organisms gain more pollutant by eating other contaminated organisms
59
MARPOL
proposed treaty banning disposal of plastics, regulating another trash dumping at sea, 122 nations ratified by 2005
60
pollution enters ocean from multiple sources
trash, pesticides and feritlizers, road oil, plastics
61
how long is great barrier reef
2000km long
62
about coral reefs
provide shelter, food, breeding grounds, home to 25% of all marine species
63
what is coral reef composed of
calcium carbonate which is secreted by tiny animals called polyps
most coral contain a symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae
64
what do coral reefs need in order to live
warm (but not hot) seawater, sunlight (for symbiotic algae), strong waves or currents, clear seawater, normal salinity, hard substrate for attachment
65
although there are many other types of reef, the distinction is made between
fringing reefs, barrier reefs, atolls
66
fringing reefs
extend out from coast
67
barrier reefs
separated from the coast by a deep lagoong
68
atolls
fairly continuous reef islands surrounding a central lagoon
69
threats to coral reefs
humans (greatest threat), hurricanes, global warming, floods, tsunami
70
cyanide fishing
kills the coral and the algae on which fish feed, big increase of co2 and ocean absorbs 25% of that
71
coral bleaching
describes the loss of colors in corals that causes them to turn white. associated with elevated water temp that cuased zooxanthellae algae to be expelled
72
indirect evidence using natural recorders of climate variability
tree rings, seafloor sediments, glacial ice rings, coral deposits, pollen, historical documents
73
tree rings
growth of trees depends on rainfall and temp
rings are wider when conditions favour growth, narrower when condition inhibit growth
74
dendroclimatology
Climate data provided by tree rings
75
seafloor sediments
recovered by coring lakes and ocean basins
samples are analyzed to provide data on climate change
76
glacial ice rings
obtained by drilling into the ice
contain small bubbles of air deposited at the time of snow (very reliable)
77
Corals
their skeletons have alternating light and dark layers that result from seasonal changes in growth rates
similar to tree rings
78
pollen
accumulated with sediment in a variety of environments
the types of pollen found reflect climate
79
historical documents
measurements of temp and precipitation date to the late 17th century
80
solar energy changes
variable energy from the sun over time, luminosty, sun spots, faculae
81
Milankovitch Theories
Eccentricity of earths orbit
obliquity angle off earths axis
precession wobble of axis
82
volcanic forcing
ash from eruption becomes suspended in atmosphere, reflect sunlight having a cooling effect
ex: Mount Tambora 1815 cooling in North America and Europe
83
IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
a global group of scientists
peer-reviewed literature
published assessments since 1990
84
Ocean conveyor belt
Circulation of ocean water
can cause fast changes in climate
cold dense water sink - which also brings down 02
85
Our possible future:
anaerobic bacteria takes over
releases hydrogen sulphide- purple oceans and green sky
poisons all land animals
bacteria are the last living things on earth
86
Changes in climate patterns:
Increases storms
87
main contributors to rising sea levels
melting of antarctic and greenland ice sheets
thermal expansion of ocean surface water
melting of land glaciers and ice caps
thermal expansion of deep ocean waters
88
Montreal Protocol
1987 agreement to limit depletion of the ozone layer by CFCs
CFCs have declined since protocol implemented
89
Kyoto Protocol
1997 agreement from United Nations Framework convention on climate change
reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2012
90
Summit in the Hague
2000 conference that focused on alternative methods to reduce emission
conferenc ended without an agreement
91
Paris Climate Agreement
2017
the agreement sets out a global action plan to pit the world on a track to avoid dangerous climate change by limiting global warming to well below 2 degrees
92
Carbon sequestration
process that refers to the capture and storing of carbon dioxide before it enters the atmosphere
93
Biological sequestration
planting more trees
94
Ocean Sequestration
injection carbon dioxide deep in the oceans
95
Geologic sequestration
Power plants and industrial facilities designed to capture co2
96
iron hypothesis
fertilize the ocean to increase productivity
increase phytoplankton, increase carbon dioxide removal from the atmosphere
97
earths temp depends on three things
amount of sunlight received
amount of sunlight reflected
degree to which atmosphere retains heat
98
weather
conditions of atmosphere at a particular time and place
99
Climate
long term average of weather
100
earths climate includes interactions of
atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, biosphere, cryosphere
